If anyone shall say that the commandments of God are, even for a man who is justified, impossible to observe; let him be anathema (Canon18)
It follows that God will ensure that the justified of the New Law gets baptized, as Christ commanded. Baptism cannot be impossible to receive for the justified, since Our Lord has both revealed and commanded Baptism as necessary for eternal salvation. It is a defined dogma of Faith and nothing that God commands is impossible to fulfill. A worthy soul who is properly disposed, will never find it impossible to receive Baptism.
I am not a theologian, nor have I thought much about Baptism of Desire. As a convert, I have always believed if someone actually desires to become Catholic, then God will make that happen eventually. However, I never really questioned or considered that BOD, as discussed here might not be a doctrine of the Church. I never investigated it. Over the years though it seemed that the people who hold this view are people who have lost babies to miscarriage or people who have loved ones that learned about Catholicism but never really made that step for Baptism. It's just something I never thought about.
At least not until this year. This year my mother, who was in a coma for two weeks (which can be completely verified by 3 doctors), my mother who was on hospice and taken off all life support and nutrition as per her written wishes, my mother who was standing on the line between life and death, my mother who until the very last day before her stroke DENIED that she needed to be Catholic or baptized, my mother who never expressed one single desire to be anything other than she was, WOKE UP and asked, in her own words, for Baptism by my priest whom she called by name.
Today, my mother is alive but has no idea cognitively where she is, what day it is, or who many of my children are. She is incapable of making a single cognitive decision nor has any understanding of basic skills other than to wipe her nose when it is running.
For the last 10 years my mother has lived with me. In the last 5, I have been a traditional Catholic and homeschooled my children. I have taught her the Catholic faith myself. We taught her the rosary. We have prayed for her. And in the two weeks that she was in a coma, I sat every single day and prayed in her ear, like my priest suggested I do. I told her about everything. I prayed rosaries. I pleaded with the Blessed Virgin and every saint I could think of to bring my mother to the feet of Our Lord. I could not imagine her dying without Baptism! I pleaded with Christ, if there was ever such as thing as Baptism of Desire, to give that Desire to my Mother, because all my efforts in 10 years were for naught.
And somehow, through a greatest miracle, the Lord heard my prayer. In those days between life and death, He showed my mother everything. He gave her the desire to be Baptized. He woke her up and put the words in her mouth right down the name of my priest.
I will say to you, my mother had the look of fear on her face. She was petrified when she woke up and immediately after her baptism, she was at peace. Today, as crazy as she is, she is still at peace.
Nothing is impossible with God. I believe, even more so now, that if a person desires to be baptized, to be Catholic, then God will provide.
In my opinion, we should be praying for people to be instructed in the Catholic faith and be Baptized. Without our prayers, I believe many are being lost simply because we don't really believe that Baptism is truly necessary.
Just my two cents, and certainly not a theological opinion or even one I have researched to a great extent. But I do believe God showed me what He wanted me to know.
I don't know if this adds anything to this discussion, but for me it clarified what I was questioning. Personally, I do not believe that simply "desiring" Baptism in one's heart is enough. I do believe that Baptism by water is a requirement and that, if one desires it above all things for either fear of Hell (as in my mother's case) or love of God, then God will provide.
So if I must accept Baptism of Desire, show me this declaration and I will accept it. Otherwise, I remain convinced in my above stated opinion.
Topic: Effects of the Heresy of Denying Baptism of Desire (Read 28450 times)